The Old Vale Way
by Water125
Summary: In this world, Grimm love to go after negative emotions because they make one weaker. Logically, that means positive ones make you stronger? Ozpin needs strong more than ever, so he's about to instill in his students the greatest positive emotion of all: Love. Pollination story with Enabler.
1. Prologue

"They're getting bolder." Glynda murmured. It was the first voice heard in Ozpin's office for a good two minutes. In a meeting of what Qrow jokingly called "The council". That was a bad sign.

Though he wasn't here, Glynda could still hear his "No shit, Goodwitch.". She scowled at just the thought, and elaborated.

"We can't keep waiting and watching, Ozpin." She watched his face closely. She knew it wasn't what he wanted to hear her say. She was supposed to back him up in front of James– the Iron fool was looking quite smug at that moment– but what was she to do? It was, as far as she could see, the cold truth. Waiting and watching had gotten them a hole in Vale's streets, and a small flood of Grimm. Were it not for teams RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY who knows what could've happened?

Still, Ozpin hadn't said anything. A short nod when she said her short piece, and back to thinking. She didn't like it. When he did that, he was usually justifying some… unsavory course of action to himself, and preparing to justify it to the rest of them. She knew that these things were necessary, but that didn't mean she liked it. She suppressed a shiver. She remembered the last time he had decided that something… unsavory… had to happen. She still didn't really know what had happened to Professor Peach.

"I," The Iron lugnut began, voice already preening and boastful in Glynda's unfriendly ears,  
"Believe that's self-evident. We need to make a move. Our enemies are gathering. I know that when I took those… precautions, you were upset, Ozpin, but I still wholeheartedly believe more should be done! I'm so glad to find you have come to you- er," He blushed, coughed a little. Glynda scowled at him. Idiot.

"...come to the same conclusion." He finished, a bit meek. Glynda smirked at that. Always nice to see the air taken out of his sails, _especially_ when he was the one doing it.

Ozpin stirred. She could hear him stir in his chair, wood creaking a little. Ozpin did like his antiques.

"Yes, James. Glynda. You're right." He began carefully, in that old man's cadence that hinted that he knew better. Glynda had always hated that about him, till he proved it was true.

"We need to do something." He smiled,

"Glynda, I know you've heard the tales, but James, have you ever heard of the old team bonds between Huntsman? "

Glynda groaned internally, even as stupid James shook his stupid, empty head.

"I don't believe so, what are they?" Ironwood replied, clearly interested.

Ozpin smirked. Glynda didn't suppress a groan that time, and Ironwood finally learned exactly why the rest of the council trusted him so much.

" _An old Vale strategy._ "

 **Hey Everyone! Just a quick author's note setting the stage. Everyone in this story is aged up 3 years (So as to avoid legal gremlins) and we start out between Volumes 2 and 3. I want to keep this short, but I also just want to say Thanks for giving this thing a chance. :)**


	2. Chapter 1: Maybe I'm Crazy

"So… we've been walking _awhile_." Yang began, drawing out the "I" and pushing some of her sweat soaked hair back out of her face. One could hear her barely held back irritation.

"You sure you know where we're going, Rubes?" She asked pleadingly, hoping that perhaps they had just passed the stupid relic at the last clearing.

Ruby grinned and pointed triumphantly up in the air without looking up from her map. It was a nice one, given out at the beginning of this mission by Professor Goodwitch herself. Ruby held onto it like a sacred treasure. A real map from a real huntsman for a real, fake mission.

"Don't worry, sis! I've not looked up for 4 whole hours, and I'm definitely–!"

"We're on the right path." Blake said, landing next to Ruby and startling her a little. She had hopped up into the branches above to get a clear view when Yang first asked the question.

"Still due East, according to the sun." She said, ignoring Ruby's slightly put out look.

"I concur." Weiss said coolly, wiping her brow as she tapped at her scroll.

"The GPS says we're still going the right way, and haven't gone too far yet. Besides, Professor Goodwitch said we couldn't miss it." She said with her customary nod of certainty. Yang giggled a little at the sight, and then a lot when she saw Ruby's pouting.

"...I was holding the map and everything guys…" She mumbled, but, a few minutes after they set off again, she was just as excited as before. Yang smirked, despite her discomfort. Nothing got her little sis going like a mission.

And it was nice that someone was happy. Weiss, while outwardly as demure as always, was starting to give off her little tells of frustration. A few huffs when she didn't really need the air, more frequent flipping of her ponytail. Little things Yang had learned about her, both by teasing her and just simply watching her.

 _Princess is getting pissy._ She thought, smirking slightly at the little jingle, though with no real malice. Weiss had grown on her quite a bit since the first few weeks. She found more amusement in the sheer alliteration of the phrase than in Weiss' discomfort.

Besides, who could blame her? The stupid, stinking, awful jungle they'd been slogging through was _hot_. And humid. Even Blake, despite all her wilderness experience, was still looking worse for wear. She'd even taken off her bow a few hours back in favor of letting her ears breathe. Granted, that was only after some gentle suggestions from Ruby and herself… and some not so gentle, but still clearly caring suggestions from Weiss. ( "I don't want to carry you if you pass out from heatstroke!")

And as for Yang herself? Well… She wasn't sure if anyone in the world was really _responsible_ for jungles being hot, humid, and awful, but if there were, she had sworn at least a dozen times that she would have her revenge. And they'd be paying for some much needed salon time.

Suddenly, Weiss stumbled on a root, just ahead of Yang, knocking the Blonde out of her ruminations on revenge and hairdressers. Yang knew how it would end if she tried to help. Weiss was just too damn _stubborn_. She aspired to perfection, and help was a reminder that she wasn't quite there yet. Yang knew that, and she knew that it was a stupid way to be, but it was just how Weiss was. She was, Yang had found after awhile of being around her, a nice person, even a fun one, and very willing to provide help if asked, but receiving was…

 _...I guess a weakness we share._

So, despite her first instinct, Yang would reign herself in, as she had trained herself to do whenever she had seen Weiss trip and fall. It was easier on all parties, and if that's what Weiss preferred, then Yang would respect that…

Except she didn't.

Yang blinked in surprise as she found herself steadying Weiss, but shrugged it off. She was impulsive. She knew that. She gave Weiss a big grin, hoping to defuse any tensions her bruised ego tried to cause.

"Careful, Snowflake. Wouldn't want you to shatter." She said warmly. She didn't really expect that to work, though she didn't _really_ care either. It was a small thing. She'd get a blush and a glare, maybe a snarky remark, but that was just a job hazard when you worked with Weiss.

"Um… thanks." Weiss mumbled, blushing and looking away. No snark, no sass, not even a glare, just embarrassment and genuine gratitude… and bashfulness?

Yang's eyes widened, but she nodded,

"Uh… yeah. No problem…" She said, confused, but pleasantly surprised.

 _Well… that was weird but… maybe she's just coming out of her shell some more? I'm all for that… especially if she's going to be that cute all the time._ She grinned and shook her head, before starting to walk again.

* * *

Weiss was miserable. She wasn't about to say anything about it,– she was no whiny rich girl stereotype, despite the rumors– but in her own mind? She could rage as much as she liked. The heat, the humidity, the plants, the trees, the _sun_. It was funny; when she was a little girl, Weiss loved the sun. It led to warm days in Atlas. Sometimes the snow would even melt a while and she'd get to see the moss and dirt. She'd get to play outside without getting her feet too wet.

At this point, she was sure she would _stab_ the sun, were she able.

None of that, though, changed her situation. Nothing did that actually, save completing their objective: Find the mysterious "Relic" Goodwitch talked about, make camp next to it, return the next day. It was simple. She had honestly expected this to be worse than it was. Really, a two day training mission in an area with so few Grimm? She hadn't seen any the whole trip. She was starting to suspect that this area had no Grimm at all.

 _Or maybe Ruby just scares them off. That girl turns into a sadistic reaper when going to our bloody business, that much is sure. The way she rips into them and the smile on her face… it's given me shivers. What a transformation, from how cute she is norma-  
_

She caught her own thoughts there and almost growled while suppressing them. She'd been thinking that sort of thing more and more lately, and not just about Ruby. Blake and even Yang were getting to her. She wasn't sure if these… attractions… were real, or something from living in such tight quarters, but she would not be giving into them. No matter how tempting they may become, she would stay the course, please Father in that respect at least.

 _...If I… want to please him at all? What if I just… GA-_ "-Agh!" She squeaked, as she stumbled over a root in her path. She hadn't noticed, too lost in her thoughts, but strong arms encircled and protected her. Her heart beat even faster.

"Careful Snowflake," Yang's stupid, warm, caring voice said. Weiss looked up at her, and she grinned down,

"Wouldn't want you to shatter~." She… flirted? Was she… flirting? Weiss blushed and looked away, unsure and unable to respond.

"U-um… thanks." Her voice squeaked out, embarrassing her even further. She winced, sure that some jape would come her way. How could Yang pass up teasing her when she was that big of a target?

But she didn't. She blushed slightly as well,

"Uh… yeah. No problem…" She said, sounding pleased, but not cruel in the slightest. Yang set her back on her feet and they continued on.

Weiss cursed herself. Clumsiness didn't suit her, and she wasn't some maiden to be rescued. Normally she wouldn't have been able to help but feel disgusted with herself at needing the help, even if she did appreciate it. It was a character flaw, though one she was only half-working on. The biggest drawback was the hurt look on her friend's faces the first few times they tried to help her, before they learned how much she hated it and stopped helping.

But Yang had apparently gotten her courage in the matter back, which was… nice, she supposed, in theory.

 _But what was that!? Was she flirting? That was clearly a flirty tone! Oh my Dust I can't… I don't…_ She stopped her rushing thoughts, willed her heart to slow,

 _Wait… maybe I just_ _ **wanted**_ _her to be flirting with me…_ She grimaced and couldn't decide which was bett- _worse_ , worse for sure. Both were bad, one was worse, the sky was blue, Weiss was straight, these were the facts of the world.

Still, she couldn't shake how strange she felt as they grew closer to the relic, or how much she really, really cared about what Yang had meant by that petname and… lusty cadence.

* * *

Blake hadn't failed to notice Yang's tone either. She had licked her lips at the tone, images flashing through her mind of what those two might do later. She was impressed by imaginary Weiss' flexibility, and Yang's _Strength_ while she held her up and–

 _Stop it_ She growled softly in her own mind. She sighed. It was normally hard to not sexualize her beautiful teammates– What could she say? She was a lesbian with an appetite– but this was ridiculous. She was lucky there was only walking to be done, or she'd be in trouble, as her mind was preoccupied completely with flashes she couldn't quite control. Visions of Weiss' pale skin, of Yang's bared breasts, of Ruby's cute ass bo–

A high pitched growl and three shouts startled her out her haze, but too late– the Grimm was already pouncing…

But it was too late too.

 ***KER-THUNK***

As one, Weiss put up a glyph, letting it smack face first into her semblance, Yang pulled Blake out of the way, even before she could roll herself, and Ruby... Ruby destroyed the thing. Slash after slash and an extra, angry bullet in the ground where the dust was already dissipating. Was that dust? Blake wasn't sure. There wasn't enough left of the creature when Ruby was done to tell the difference.

"Are you ok!?" Yang asked first, tone suggesting she'd nearly died instead of being bowled over by one Beowulf puppy. That thing was small, no threat to her when she was at full aura, even weakened and dazed as she was. It would've been, in the worst case, a tumble to the ground, a fumbling for her weapon, and a quick slash. Her pride would've taken the most bruising.

Yet here she was, Blake's blonde, motherly fantasy visibly holding herself back from checking her over like a nervous parent. Blake wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but–

"What were you thinking!? I don't want you hurt!" The slightly shriller but still… downright cozy warm objection from Weiss came next. Blake had to keep herself from bug-eyeing at her, though it was a struggle. She fumbled for a moment, all this close attention getting to her already lust addled mind, combining with the adrenaline in her system,

"I-I-I, I was just… thinking, I-"

"Are you hurt?" Ruby's voice came, caring but firm. She looked at Blake worriedly, a sincere look of concern on her face. No giggles, not even the glee Blake normally saw for a little bit after Ruby dug into a Grimm, just honest care and concern. If she didn't know better she'd call it lo–

 _No_ She shook her head, disjointed thoughts confusing her.

"Good." Ruby said. She smiled and hugged her. Not a quick, chipper hug, but a slow, tight embrace that left Ruby's head nestled in Blake's shoulder. Blake's breath quickened, and she hugged back. Ruby stood on her tiptoes and kissed her cheek.

"Be more careful, K~? I don't want to lose anyone else I care about to Grimm." She looked into Blake's eyes, waiting for an answer, and the stunned girl managed a stuttering nod. This was apparently good enough for Ruby, and she nodded back before moving back to the front and declaring "Onward!" in an exaggerated, silly, yet somehow completely serious tone. Blake took a quick look around as she started onward again. Weiss and Yang looked just as confused and… well, confused anyway. She couldn't _know_ that those blushes were from same arousal she felt.

Blake frowned, furrowing her brow as she focused hard, gaining back enough self-control to try to think through what just happened. She wasn't an expert in body-language, but she was better than most people, and she recognized Yang's grab, hugging her close and putting her own body between the Grimm and Blake. That was a possessive, caring move. No one would do that sort of thing so quickly unless they were willing to sacrifice their life for the other person. Weiss overreacted too, using her semblance like that rather than trusting Blake to move, or someone else to intervene, and over such a small Grimm. And Ruby… Blake shuddered again. Blake had no love for Grimm, but that was brutal. Frightening even, and for a second she _was_ scared.

But then Ruby had walked over to her. That expression on her face... Blake wasn't mistaken. She cared for Blake, loved her even, though in what way exactly... it was impossible to say.

She knew her team cared for her. She cared for them, maybe even loved them? It wasn't so far fetched. They'd been together a while now, and they were the best friends she'd had since she'd left Menagerie. Was it so strange they'd want to keep her safe?

 _...R-right… I'm being ridiculous._ But before she could give herself more reassuring denial, she felt it. That instinctual shiver that runs over when you're being stared at from behind. She looked around only to see Yang… staring at her ass? She wasn't stopping either. She looked another long moment, and then up at Blake, shrugging and grinning. Blake's heart tried to pop out of her chest, and even though she managed to put her eyes back forward, that was decidedly the end of any coherent thought besides a repeating, ever varying,

 _Maybe… I'm not imagining things~._


	3. Chapter 2: Maybe We Both Are

A twig cracked as Ruby stepped on it. She made sure to step extra loud, cracking it in several places at once. It wasn't much, but maybe… maybe to a Grimm it'd be loud.

She hoped so.

Ruby was disappointed so far on this mission. No Grimm except for that _monstrous, evil, piece of filth_ that attacked Blake a few minutes ago. Ruby was expecting more Grimm, more big, black and white evil moving targets to…

 _Rid humanity of? To practice my skills on? Uncle Qrow always says… he says..._

She sighed. Normally she could justify it. Normally she wouldn't even take a second thought. It was killing Grimm, good triumphing over evil, light banishing dark, and all those other mantras and platitudes that she knew and loved. It was the right thing to do. What was wrong with enjoying doing the right thing?

But today? Today she was feeling bad about it. Not about killing Grimm, but about trying to _attract_ them. Was it so bad, wanting to bring monsters to her team? She knew they could handle them, much better than civilians. Better to kill them now than let them grow and wander and attack some innocent farmer later. Right?

She sighed again and frowned. In theory, maybe, but she knew that wasn't what it was. She always knew,

 _I just… want to kill Grimm! I_ _ **hate**_ _Grimm. Is that so bad? They hate me! And my friends…_

...They hated mom...

Nothing was wrong with that. She had every right to be angry at them still. Angry forever even. Still though, Ruby was no fool. She saw how much this heat was affecting her team.

 _Poor Blakey didn't even see that thing coming… What if… What if it wasn't a puppy?_

It would've been fine. Surely. Blake was at full aura, surrounded by her three best friends who were _also_ at full aura. One full sized Beowulf? No problem even if… even if it did… get the… jump on her…

 _...That image makes me want to puke. And kill Beowolves. And hug Blake again…_

That was it. The crutch of the problem. Normally Ruby was… a little reckless. She would never put her team in serious danger, but well, if a rock fell when it didn't need to and they fought an extra wave of Grimm on a mission, was that so bad?

Today though, she couldn't stop thinking about what would happen if it _was_ so bad. What if Blake had been hurt? What if that was one of the Grimm that Ruby drew?

What if it had somehow… killed Blake?

She let out an involuntary whimper at the thought. It wasn't that she doubted her team's skills, or her own. It was just becoming too risky in her mind. She… it wasn't that she _cared_ more now about their safety, but she was _thinking_ about it more. Her desire for vengeance was being drowned out by both her concern for her team's current state, and her suddenly larger concern just _for_ them, in general.

And so, when she saw another twig in her path, she let her concern win. No more Grimm, not now. She shuddered, a small part of her feeling like she was betraying something. Between the heat and the confusion in her mind, the conflict in her interests was threatening to throw her into sadness, anguish even That traitorous feeling was already growing...

But then a soft hand found her right. And a bigger, more familiar hand found her left.

She looked to her left and right to see a grinning Yang and a slightly smiling, slightly nervous looking Blake. She was about to voice her confusion, but then Yang's hand squeezed her own, and Blake's fingers ran gently over her palm, and she felt butterflies. All objections and questions were gone. No time for that when Ruby was so busy trying to process what she was feeling and why. She smiled nervously back at the two and just let it be.

Together, they made their way through the jungle.

* * *

Weiss, despite being behind everyone, was the first to see it. The others were too frazzled by their physical contact. Still, she could only gape at was the largest dust crystal she'd ever seen in person. A feeling of dread washed over.

"So Pretty!" Ruby cried, before giggling and speeding off and checking it out. Blake and Yang barely spared a glance before running after her. Weiss continued on at her own pace, despite feeling the urge to stay close to them. It was hard to resist, but that dread was harder to ignore.

Weiss knew something had been going on. Her team never acted like this, and she herself never had so much trouble with self-control–

 _Invasive thoughts._ She chastened herself weakly,

 _Thoughts not my own… they aren't real…_

It had been quite concerning, to say the least. She knew that something had to be causing it.

And now she knew what that something was.

The relic. Their objective. It was a Spire.

A massive pillar of dust crystal loomed before them. A tower of pearlescent crystal that went up 5 stories and was as big around as two houses. The area around it was a massive clearing in the jungle. The thick, coarse, hot, and humid vegetation gave way to a grassy meadow with the crystal at the center. In the back of her mind, Weiss noted that crystals like these often changed the landscape around them, and that was a reflection of their more important property.

Crystals like this were rare, but not unheard of. Weiss knew several by name, and she knew what they all shared in common, besides appearance. They all had a special aura of… something around them. It varied greatly. One she knew of caused everything organic around it to combust. The area around it was charred, barren ground. Another healed the wounds of anything around it, slowly but surely. It was considered a safe haven for anyone, a sanctuary. There was even a monastery there to protect it, and the area around it was lush and fertile and alive.

However, Weiss had never heard of this one. She had no idea what it did. The peaceful scenery around it lessened her worry slightly, and the fact that her teachers sent them there helped too, but still, it could do _anything_ and she didn't like not knowing what was being done to her…

"Weiss!"

Weiss let out a short cry and stumbled back, not having noticed that Ruby was standing in front of her, trying to get her attention. She blushed as she looked at her, partially in embarrassment from stumbling again… and partially… from something else…

Before she could backpedal on that thought, Ruby spoke again,

"Weiss?" She sounded concerned now and was frowning,

"Are you ok?"

Weiss nodded, feeling warm from the concern. She wanted to hug Ruby, tell her things were fine. She moved towards her, arms outstretched almost in a daze, before shaking her head and stepping away.

"I-I'm fine." She said, forcing herself to be cold.

"What is it, Ruby?"

Ruby frowned, looked hurt, and that almost broke Weiss, but she held firm.

"I was just wondering… what is that thing?" Ruby asked, pointing at the spire.

Weiss blinked at her in confusion, then slight annoyance.

"You don't know? How do you not know? It's common knowledge!" She informed her.

Ruby's frown deepened and she kicked at the dirt,

"W-well... Not for me…" She protested weakly.

Weiss scowled at her,

"That's no excuse! We went over this in class just… last… Ruby?" She asked, voice softening ten times over as she realized what she'd done. She felt sick.

Ruby shook as a few tears touched the ground.

"R-ruby…" Weiss' voice broke and she couldn't help it anymore. She gave into what her mind and heart were screaming at her. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her.

"I-I'm shorry…" Ruby choked, hugging back and burying her head in Weiss' shoulder.

"I don'tsh mean to besh **sniff** stupidsh…" She cried.

That was it. Weiss' heart broke and she couldn't push it away anymore. She led them both to sit down, still holding her.

"Don't say that." She mumbled,

"You aren't stupid. I… I'm sorry…" She mumbled.

Ruby sniffed, and looked up at Weiss. She smiled weakly, a question in her eyes. Weiss wasn't quite sure what the question was, but after a moment she smiled back,

"I know you try... I-I know it's hard." Weiss began again, voice shaking. She didn't know what to say really, just that she felt awful Before she could go on, however, Ruby interrupted her.

"It's ok." She said in a small voice. She sounded embarrassed of all things. Embarrassed. Her!

 _I'm the one that should be embarrassed! I hurt you. I didn't mean to… I'm the bad guy…_

"Just… tell me about the thing?" She asked meekly, looking up at her hopefully and… adoringly? Weiss blushed. She knew Ruby liked her. She didn't know why, but she did. Sometimes Weiss wondered if she _was_ stupid, but… she knew that wasn't it. It wasn't Ruby. It was her... The ice wall. The one she built up over years to protect herself. That's what pushed Ruby away, and that's what called Ruby stupid. Ruby didn't deserve to be hit with that, and Weiss didn't _want_ to push a real friend away. She felt like a queen trapped in her own castle, her own walls and battlements turned against her. Somehow, it was only now she realized she had felt like that for awhile. She knew before but now it was so clear to her, and the clarity made that wall paper thin. She could just tap it, just tap it and she knew it'd be shattered. It might reform, but weaker, back in its proper place.

Weiss gave that little tap. She accepted that Ruby liked her. She accepted Ruby was her friend too. She nodded, smiling a little though she didn't fully know why, and began to explain.

* * *

Ruby looked up at Weiss, smiling weakly. It was strange, she was crying a minute ago, but Weiss holding her like this… it made her feel so much better, so quickly. And she apologized! Weiss didn't want to hurt her! That simple, obvious truth put into words and made painfully clear was so intoxicating, so uplifting. She'd already stopped crying.

Weiss smiled back. Ruby's world exploded and she felt things that she was sure weren't possible.

 _Am… I drugged?_ A weak, sluggish, half-unconscious part of her mind wondered. The thought quickly passed when her pretty friend started talking,

"I know you try... I-I know it's hard." Weiss said, frowning again. Her voice cracked, like she was going to cry too. Ruby shook her head. Weiss was sad… why? They were here, it was ok. She had to make it better,

"It's ok." Ruby assured her, hoping she'd be ok with that simple a statement. It was all she could really manage. She was embarrassed that was all she could say, but… one can't do more than they can. Her mom had said that. She smiled again, thinking about her

"Just... tell me about the thing?" Ruby murmured as she came back to Weiss, ever present curiosity not dulled by circumstances.

Weiss paused, smiled, and nodded. Ruby was only half-listening, but she noticed that Weiss was using her teacher tone. The one she used when she helped Ruby catch up in a class. Ruby wasn't stupid, she knew that. It would be hard for anyone to suddenly skip two years of school, and she had done just that. And now she was leader of a team of 3 other older, powerful, smart girls that deserved better–

But even as those familiar doubts started to gnaw at her, Ruby focused on Weiss' voice. Not her words really, though they were jogging some vague memories of the subject of spires, but on the sound of it. It was so pretty. Tinkling, light. Warm. It was so warm right now. Ruby felt so safe and warm, so happy.

Weiss had been so helpful. She was rough at first, but when she saw how seriously Ruby was taking her duties, she had decided to help and Ruby would never _not_ be grateful. She wasn't sure about Weiss before then, but that was when she knew. She wasn't just going to have to try to get along with the rich, bitchy girl. She had a friend here. It was like Yang told her one night

 _Just gotta chip her out of all that Ice, and help her warm up..._

"You have a pretty voice." she murmured to Weiss sleepily. Weiss looked taken aback in that cute way she had, and Ruby was worried for a moment that she was in trouble. She tensed a little, waiting for a slap up the head or similar, but then… she felt Weiss hold her tighter. Ruby sighed in relief.

"T-thank you…. Ruby…" Weiss mumbled. She sounded happy… but worried. Why worry?

"Weiss…" Ruby began slowly,

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked gently. She tilted her head up to look into Weiss' eyes again.

Weiss bit her lip, trembled a little, and then said,

"These things all have a power around them. They do things… strange things… and I feel strange… we're all acting strange…" She whimpered. Ruby's eyes widened. Weiss, whimper? She'd only ever heard it once before, when Weiss was having a nightmare below her. It was cute and even at the time she had wanted to hug her, assure her it was ok. Now was no different, and she hugged her tighter.

"It's ok… The professors wouldn't send us anywhere bad... " She mumbled.

Weiss, however, didn't seem convinced. She shook her head,

"B-but… Ruby it's so strange! I feel… I want… things I shouldn't… I don't… know what to do…" She sounded so scared. Ruby wanted to help so badly,

"It's ok!" Ruby said, more energetically now, riled because Weiss was,

"It's alright! They aren't bad things Weiss, it's ok." She assured her.

Weiss looked at her strangely… hungrily?

"How do you… know?" She asked softly. She seemed so fragile in that moment, so vulnerable. Ruby could've hurt her then. She instinctively knew it. A mean word, that's all it would've taken to destroy Weiss.

Ruby took her hand gently in her own.

"Because you're a good person." Ruby informed her,

"And I love you~." That one just slipped out. Ruby's eyes widened. Why… why had she said that!? She wasn't too drunk on Weiss and the aura of the spire not to know that was a problem. Weiss was going to kill he–

Weiss kissed her.

Ruby melted.

 **Another chapter down, another chapter closer to full on Pollination! I just want to say thanks for all the great, shining reviews that you guys left. I love reading them, and I encourage more, especially if you have constructive criticism. (Though the just straight up positive ones are great motivation :P)**

 **I also wanted to ask you all, what chapter length do you guys prefer? I can certainly write longer chapters, but they'll of course also take longer to come out, and I really want to avoid going longer than a week or at most two without uploading anything. But yeah, let me know, shorter chapters like this more often, or longer ones less often?**


	4. Chapter 3: Maybe We All Are

"...Look at them." Yang said. Blake looked up at her, away from the spire which had held her interest up to that point. Yang sounded worried, but… proud?

"What?" Blake asked, confused until she followed Yang's gaze over to where Ruby and Weiss were. Kissing. Blake gasped and looked worriedly at Yang. As nice as that view was for Blake– and as much as she wanted to go over and see if she could join them, an urge getting exponentially harder to resist– she was more concerned over how her partner would react.

"Guess you won the bet, huh Blakey?" Yang said calmly. Blake noticed she was smiling now, and felt something bump gently into her hand. 5 lien. She took it and smiled nervously, not sure why Yang wasn't more… something. Excited for the couple, angry about what she was seeing… something. Where was all that energy that she knew and loved?

"Um… yeah, guess I did…" She replied.

Yang giggled and looked back over to Weiss and Ruby. They were still in the same position.

 _Long kiss_ thought Blake, impressed by the display. She had known the two had feelings for each other. Anyone could see it. Well, except Weiss and Ruby. Blake had found that strangely, in her experience, it was when you were closest to something that it was the hardest to see.

At this point, Blake had realized this spire was doing something to them. Something that messed with their inhibitions. She didn't care.

That wasn't quite accurate. She _did_ care. She loved it. If there was ever a time to move up her pipedream of a 5 year plan to have her team come together in one big orgy of a relationship, it was _today_.

 _Thanks Glynda. I didn't know you wanted my fantasies to come true~_

"Blakey?" Yang's somber voice broke through Blake's wandering thoughts and brought her back to reality. Right now she was no closer to what might be generously called a goal. Something was wrong with Yang, and Blake wasn't sure what. Uncertainty was uncomfortable in general, but about Yang? That was downright troubling. She needed to get to the bottom of what was bothering her, and fix it.

 _...It's what she'd do for me.~_ She thought affectionately. She still thought about that time Yang pulled her aside in that abandoned classroom. She needed that. She'd fix this for Yang, even if… even if it meant ignoring what Weiss and Ruby were doing.

For the moment anyway.

"Y-yeah?" Blake answered, blushing.

"Let's uh… give them some privacy huh?" Yang asked, voice a little strained.

"Move to the other side of the spire?"

"R-right." Blake said after only a moment's hesitation and a wistful look back at those two. She was only mortal, after all.

Yang nodded and led Blake around the spire. Blake watched her as she walked. The way her shoulders were set, her slightly stiff movements… Yang was focused, on edge. Like… like if she was trying to thread a needle, _constantly._ Blake frowned and wondered once again just what had gotten into poor Yang.

Yang sat down with a huge sigh, leaning back against the spire. Blake sat down right next to her and just looked at her for the moment.

 _So pretty…_ Blake thought wistfully. Even when Yang was obviously upset, Blake couldn't help but notice her beauty.

Yang looked back and smiled a little,

"You can say it, pussy-cat." She teased,

"I know this thing must be messing with you too."

Blake blinked in surprise, and then…

"...You're beautiful."

Yang blushed for a moment, and then laughed, looking away,

"Yeah yeah, I know. You too."

Blake was thoroughly confused at that moment. She had just done it. Said something that was blatantly romantic to Yang, and she had responded with… laughter? And a compliment that felt somehow both genuine _and_ cheap.

"Um…" She began, tone a mix of hurt and angry.

"What? Blakey, I know you have a crush on me. It's not hard to see. And Ruby. And Weiss. And any girl that moves." She chuckled,

"Well, maybe that's a little far… you usually ask their name before you fall in love with them."

Blake frowned and looked away. She didn't know what she was supposed to feel. She didn't know what Yang was trying to do. She wasn't even sure all of that was true. She knew it hurt though, maybe more than it normally would? Stupid spire…

Blake felt a hot kiss on her cheek and a blushing, concerned looking Yang pulling away. Half Blake's brain shut down right there,

"Hey…" Yang began, looking angry, but not at Blake,

"Sorry… I… It's hard to control myself right now… I'm not mad at you I… I get it, ok? It's hard liking girls and being in close quarters and…" She took a deep breath, whole body shaking for a second. For a moment it looked like she was slowly leaning in to kiss Blake again, but she pulled away after a second. Her eyes opened to reveal crimson. A blink. Lilac again.

"You want to go on a date sometime?" Yang asked, sounding almost desperate.

Blake could do nothing but slowly nod the affirmative, baffled by her Yang's mercurial mood and her rapid onslaught of conflicting messages and actions.

"U-u-um… yeah…" Blake mumbled, not sure what was going on, but starting to be very concerned for Yang.

"Y-yang… are you ok?" She leaned a little closer and Yang stiffened, pulling further away.

"Stop." Yang growled softly, yet firmly. Her voice shook a little.

"I-I'm fine… I just… it's hard to… control myself."

Blake took a breath,

"Y-you don't have to, you know… I like you Yang… y-you... can kiss me if you want~" Blake offered, wanting nothing more in that moment, but managing to hold herself back. She wasn't going to throw herself at an unwilling Yang. That's not how this would go. She wouldn't let herself fuck this up _that_ badly.

Yang's eyes became half-lidded, glazed over. She began leaning in again, looking half-mesmerized. Her eyes were transfixed on Blake's plump lips. Blake closed her eyes and took a deep breath in anticipation, leaning in herself...

" **NO!** " Yang suddenly yelled. An intense wave of heat made Blake keep her eyes shut. When she opened them again Yang was a considerable distance away.

Yang sat hugging her knees, curled in on herself. She looked lost, almost broken. Breaths shuddering her whole body. She wasn't even looking at Blake. Sweat covered her forehead and a single tear dripped down her nose. Her hair was still slightly flared, and her eyes were still red. That didn't seem to be changing anytime soon.

"Blakey… I'm not… I'm not dumb, you know?" She began suddenly, voice shaking, sounding out of breath and strained.

Blake started to reply, flabbergasted and just trying to keep up, to not hurt Yang. She was starting to think the best thing to do was leave her alone… But she quashed that thought as soon as she had it. Yang _needed_ her.

"I-I-I... know Yang I nev–"

"I know." Yang interrupted

"You know I'm not, dumb question. I've just kinda got a rep. I guess people can't see a hot blonde girl that's good at people and her job and not assume she's dumb? Or, I guess I'm impulsive." She rambled.

 _That's unlike her…_ Thought the confused, nearly overwhelmed Blake.

"The point, I guess," Yang continued,

"Is that I know what this thing is. The spire. I know what it's doing to us. Vaguely. It's making us more impulsive more… open? I don't know. It's harder to avoid any urge that I have, I have to use so much more willpower… especially…" She trailed off, gritted her teeth,

"And you know what it is too. I saw how you were looking at… at Weiss and Ruby and… you wanted to join them…" She trailed off again in a whisper. It wasn't quite an accusation.

Blake shivered,

"...Yeah." She admitted quietly.

Yang nodded, then said something that made Blake look up in surprise.

"I don't blame you."

Blake blinked in surprise. Tilted her head, thought about the sounds she had heard for a moment, trying to be sure she had interpreted them correctly,

"...What?"

"I don't blame you." Yang repeated, then growled and slammed her fist into the side of the spire. It didn't leave a dent. Blake flinched.

"But I won't be controlled by this thing! I'm stronger than that! If I want to kiss you it'll be because I want to! And just because I want to do something doesn't mean… I… should…" Her anger died down as quickly as it rose and she looked sad and broken again.

"You… you don't have a horse in this race, Blake. Not really. You want us all to some extent. That's something I like about you, Blakey." She smiled at her,

"You've been through a lot of shit, but you still love so readily."

Blake blushed and tried to stammer something out. Yang _liked_ that Blake wanted them all?

 _How did she even know that!? What makes her so damn sure!?  
_  
Yang waved her hand, stopping Blake before she started.

"Love's a strong word maybe. Whatever. You care about us all. You'd be just as happy if Weiss asked you out as you were when I did, right?"

Blake honestly considered it for a moment, then winced and said,

"...I don't know."

Yang nodded, leaned her head back against the spire. Closed her eyes,

"...Ruby's not ready for that Blake." She said, voice pained and strained.

"She can't handle herself right now and having you and Weiss in there… she'd be so conflicted when this is all over. When we go back to Vale she'd think back and wonder who she's supposed to be with. She's not ready for that. So even though I don't blame you, I can't let us– you." She corrected hastily,

"I can't let **you** give into that urge, ok? Hell." Her eyes flashed red for a second,

"She's not even ready for just Weiss! She's not!" She protested to the world,

"She's not ready now, wasn't ready then–" Her eyes widened and she cut herself off. She seemed content to stay silent, lost in her thoughts. She hadn't stopped shaking since she began her rants, and the trembling was getting worse now, if anything.

Blake kept looking at her, trying to make sense of her confusing monologue. So many jumps and twists, and that ending…

Blake wanted to go over and hug Yang, but she knew what would happen. Yang would push her away again, and that would hurt… but why? Why push her away?

She considered it. If Yang wanted to kiss her… why let that stubbornness get in the way of this!? The damn thing affected inhibitions, it didn't make new desires!

 _...I think… No! I'm sure! And so is she, or she would've said so! She would've stopped Weiss and Ruby if she thought there was a snowball's chance that they weren't acting on their own desires, so why…_

Blake was suddenly angry at her, and was about to tell her so when she noticed Yang grinning at her,

"You're about to tell me I'm a stubborn idiot, right?"

Blake paused and then sighed loudly, crossing her arms,

"What are you, a fucking mind reader?" Blake growled, completely exasperated.

"Nah. I just know you. That's what you would think, and with this thing working on you, that's what you'd say." Yang teased. She giggled, then sighed,

"...I really want to kiss you, Blakey." She said, voice shuddering again.

"But I… I can't… I can't give anything... or I might… go further than that."

"So do!" Blake protested quickly, frustration mounting to an unignorable point.

"Yang, I like you, you like me. Let's go _there_ if that's where we want to go! This thing isn't making us want anything we didn't already, right? So just–"

"Not that simple. Ruby… Weiss…"

Blake furrowed her brow,

"What about them? They're fine. Unless you…" her eyes widened

"...You wanted to join them too?" Blake realized. Yang's quick look away and visible, full body shudder was enough answer.

"And you… you're afraid if you let yourself go with me… we'll end up back over there?" She concluded, then grinned.

 _Jackpot!_

"...You like Weiss too, huh?" Blake asked with a little grin. She couldn't help it. This was it! Her in! She still needed to figure out somethings but Yang wanted both her _and_ Weiss already? This was basically a sealed deal!

Yang stirred again, making Blake pay attention as she spoke,

"...I won't do that to Ruby." Yang murmured, and at first Blake assumed she meant that she wouldn't steal Ruby's new girlfriend… but then Yang continued,

"...I won't do that to her again…"

* * *

Yang couldn't help it. She liked Blake. She trusted people she liked. So like butter-slicked molasses the truth came out: slow, but in quick spurts.

"...I won't do that to her again…" She said shamefully.

Yang could see the confusion in Blake's face. She wondered how much time she had before it clicked to a conclusion. She wondered how close that conclusion would be to truth.

Blake's eyes narrowed and her pretty, lilting alto came out,

"What do you mean?" She asked. Yang's eyebrows raised. A clarifying question? That was rare for Blake in these situations. She liked to draw conclusions from what she was given freely or could observe. That meant that the extra impulsiveness from the spire must've been to blame? But then that meant that Blake often wanted to ask clarifying questions and just... didn't? Yang frowned. She still needed to help Blakey fix her self-esteem. Next on the to-do list after resisting magical roofie spires.

"You're worthy of asking questions, Blakey." She blurted out, before wincing. Not like that.

Blake's eyes narrowed further,

"Is that… your way of saying you aren't going to tell me what you meant?" She asked hesitantly.

Yang shook her head and sighed,

"Look I… you can't tell anyone, ok?" She begged. And like that, caring Blake was back. She nodded, eyes wide now,

"You can trust me, Yang." She said, and Yang knew she could. All that Blake was, as a person– it all boiled down to passion, and since Yang knew Blake liked her, she knew it was with passion. She'd trust Blake with her life…

Still…

She didn't want to say. Yang tried momentarily to fight the spire's influence again but… it was too hard. She could feel her willpower being sapped. If she used too much here she wouldn't be able to avoid going back around and making a twosome a foursome and…

She sighed again.

"...Ruby and I didn't know a mother past age 6, you know that." She began, voice shaking. Blake nodded heavily.

"Y-yeah?"

"So…" Yang continued hesitantly,

"Ruby and I… growing up… I took care of her. She was my everything. I was hers. I mean dad was there too, don't get me wrong but... "

"He shut down." Blake said gently,

"I remember."

Yang smiled at her gratefully, and continued,

"So… I'm older but… not by enough that I was out of puberty before Ruby. We experienced it together and well…" She bit her lip. She saw Blake's gentle smile, and Blake put her hand gently on Yang's shoulder. When had that sneaky cat gotten that close?

 _You're slipping._ A voice chided in Yang's head.

 _What else is new?_

 _Lots, actually, but stay focused. You've got us an audience for our ramblings. Not so rare, sure, but this time it's Blake. We like her. Don't bore her._

Yang considered a rebuttal, but then realized she was arguing with herself again. Not a good thing to be doing while with company, especially company that was waiting for the rest of a story.

 _I'm stalling… any way I can… trying to fight this thing…_ She realized. She was proud of herself, in a way. Still…

"Yang…?" Blake's gentle voice brought her out of that new tactic. Yang sighed, nodded. She was done fighting. She'd tell Blake, no more stalling, even in incredibly clever ways that she'd pat herself on the back for when she had more time to do it properly. Yang continued,

"S-so… We grew up on Patch, and it's a small island, right? We didn't have great internet and Dad was useless for info on that and… well… we figured things out together, basically." She finished, as if that explained everything. She could tell by the look of confusion on Blake's face that she hadn't explained anything yet.

"...So? That sounds good? You did the best you could?" Blake said softly.

Yang shook her head and groaned, before slamming her fist into the earth in frustration. Blake flinched again, not that Yang noticed,

"Blake… I… We fucked, ok!?" She said, blushing hard. Tears were in her eyes as she admitted to her incestious acts.

"It was fucked up and stuff and at first we were just trying to figure out our bodies! B-but… then it got to more and we love each other a lot and… It had gone on for months by the time I realized how wrong it was, by the time I learned that I was doing something evil and disgusting and that I was abusing Ruby and that she'd be damaged for life if I didn't stop and…" she babbled and trailed off, crying now. She looked up at Blake, waiting for the hateful stare, the harsh judgement she knew would come for a sinner like her.

Blake indeed did look angry. Yang resigned herself to having lost a friend, one that might've been more. It wasn't like she didn't deserve it–

"What idiot told you all that!?" Blake demanded angrily. Yang looked up again at her in shock,

"H-huh?"

"What idiot said that!? Incest is bad? My parents are first cousins! I knew a friend who's mom and dad were siblings. Why the fuck would incest be bad?" She demanded angrily.

Yang stammered for a response,

"I-I… It… it causes deformities in… children…"

"No it doesn't!" Blake said,

"Only if incest occurs over lots of generations! That's why it used to be frowned upon in like tiny villages or isolated places like… islands…" She trailed off, realizing.

"...Oh…. well… you and Ruby are both girls! You can't have kids, and it'd be a stupid reason to stop even if you could, because your parents weren't related. Hell, you're only half-sisters!" She continued her rant.

Yang took this all in and her old guilt rose up again,

"Just… shut up! You don't know what you're talking about Blake! Maybe it's fine for you but it was wrong for me and I could've hurt Ruby… she was so young…"

"So were you." Blake murmured. She had shifted to a lower tone. A part of Yang noted that she always did that when Yang got too excited about something. Like she was trying to calm an angry beast.

 _Damndest thing is that it still works._ Yang slumped and shut her mouth.

"And you loved each other. That's all it was… You weren't hurting her, you weren't taking advantage… you wouldn't. I know you. It wasn't like that."

Yang's lips trembled.

"You…" Blake continued,

"...You still want her like that, don't you?"

Yang looked away sullenly.

"Don't." Yang said, that single word betraying so much pent up longing, so much fear.

Yang heard Blake take in a deep breath, and then soft arms encircled her. Yang shivered and leaned in.

"Yang… Please… I… I think you should join them." She said. Yang looked at her skeptically,

"Blake… please…" She rasped, at her breaking point.

"No." Blake said, voice shaking,

"You need to… I think Ruby still wants you too and this is the time to give you both that. If she doesn't, she'll push you away, ok? Impulsiveness works both ways, but… I think you should." Yang could hear the care, the concern in her voice.

Slowly… slowly Yang rose. Taking Blake with her when the smaller girl decided to hold on.

"What're you doing?" Blake breathed. Yang just grinned at her, steadied her carry by returning the hug, and kissed her.

It was like the dam holding back the affection they both held was finally burst, and now the floodwaters raged. Yang's tongue sought out Blake's and ravaged it. The kiss was almost violent, reflecting the passionate nature of the two girls that shared it.

After a few moments, Blake pulled away for breath only to see a grinning Yang.

"That was worth the wait.~" The blonde teased,

"Let's go, huh?" She asked, and began walking again.

Blake just sighed in relief and smiled, laying her head to rest on Yang's warm, soft chest for the moment.

"I'm glad, Yang." She mumbled.

"Yeah… you wore me down. I don't have any will left. I… I hope you were right…" She began as self-doubt started to creep in again, but then stiffened as she felt something pleasant. She looked down to see Blake cheekily grinning up at her, hand pawing at Yang's breast.

Yang grinned back and walked faster. 

**Hey guys, a quick note. Incest in this world works a little differently, as Blake said. I know that's not how it works IRL, so to head off anyone trying to correct that, I know. In this world, though, it's only dangerous to children over many generations, meaning it was only ever really ostracized in small places, and nowadays it's not even really looked down on there, except by the older crowd.**


	5. Chapter 4: Maybe I'm Dreaming

Weiss smiled as she woke up, leaning lazily into the warmth next to her. The silken sheets of their custom-made bed felt heavenly against her skin, and the soft snores of Blake and Ruby beside her still made her heart flutter, even after all these years. She turned slightly to smell Ruby's hair and in the same motion pressed her bare body back into Blake's.

"Mmmm…." she moaned lazily at the familiar smell of roses and sugar. Ruby shivered, as if cold, and snuggled back cutely against Weiss, who only smiled and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl.

"Mmm…" Ruby groaned,

"Weissssss." She mumbled, still half-asleep. Weiss stroked her hair gently, urging her back to sleep. She was cuter that way. 

* * *

Blake blinked her eyes open slowly, silently. She saw the familiar scene of Weiss and Ruby snuggling together. A part of her felt left out, but she understood. It happened every day that it was Yang's turn to cook breakfast. Ruby got cold without the fiery blonde around to keep her warm, and so, ironically, their Snowy Princess had to step in and keep her warm.

 _Besides,_ Blake thought with a smirk, _They're so cute like that. Mmm…. I wonder if I have time to…_

She reigned her carnal urges in. They had a mission today. No time to play, though Ruby and Weiss were _very_ tempting. Especially now that they'd grown up a little.

Sure, they were cute and sexy way back when– Blake's pillow from the dorm knew that better than anyone. It had been called every one of their names in whispered, hot breaths in the dead of night as Blake relieved her frustrations with it– but they were older now. Now they were cute and…

More sexy?

Blake wondered. She tried to puzzle out exactly what made them more enticing now that they'd grown up as she slipped out of bed. She was silent and stealthy enough to not be detected by trained huntresses, even as they were lazily lying right next to her. Sometimes Blake wondered if they were just humoring her. She was the team's stealth specialist, sure, but was she really _that_ good?

More to ponder while she slunk into the kitchen, wondering if maybe Yang would have time to play. 

* * *

Yang was humming contentedly. On the upside, she was making a big hearty breakfast for herself and her girls. Chocolate-chip pancakes for Ruby, french toast for Weiss, grilled trout and toast for Blake, and a nice hearty breakfast burrito stuffed with cheese, eggs, peppers, and onions for herself.

The downside, of course, was that she'd been up since 6:40 AM.

Yang was not a morning person. She needed her beauty sleep, and she was annoyed she wasn't getting it, but…

 _… The look on their faces when they eat what I make them… Worth it~_

"Hi Yang~." A sly cat murmured in Yang's ear at the same time that two lithe, pale arms wrapped around her midsection. Blake nibbled at Yang's ear. Yang grinned. Frisky little kitty.

"Morning, Blakey!" She said, deciding to tease her. She didn't react at all to Blake's advances, wondering what she'd do about it. Yang was hoping she'd decide to escalate.

Blake purred in her ear and rubbed up against her back,

"Is it? I don't know yet… I haven't gotten any of my morning kisses….~" She said suggestively.

Yang rolled her eyes. Mushy _and_ frisky? She didn't know whether to feel flattered and lucky or just plain nauseous.

"Mmm. And what, putting all the blame on me, Kitty? That's hardly fair, huh? You were just next to Weissy and Ruby, weren't you? Why didn't _they_ kiss you?" She teased.

Blake let out a little whine.

"Yanggggggggg." She said, giving up any attempt at seduction and now just pouting. Yang laughed. Blake had gotten so spoiled in the last few years… not that she minded so much. She turned around and gave her a passionate, but quick, kiss good morning. Blake of course tried to escalate, but Yang pushed her gently away,

"There you go, now shoo, ok? I gotta make sure I don't burn our breakfast." She chided. Blake smiled, pleased with herself, and she swayed over to her normal seat at the table to wait 

* * *

Ruby was trying hard to convince Weiss she was still sleeping. She kept her breathing even, her eyes shut, her body still. It was hard for someone that had so much energy pent up all the time, but worth it in this case. These lazy mornings where Weiss held her were the gentlest, sweetest moments with Weiss that Ruby ever got. Weiss had opened up a lot over the years, becoming comfortable with all her girlfriends, but still, she had grown up with reasons to push people away, and a lifetime to reinforce the habit.

Which is why Ruby so treasured these moments. When Weiss was half-asleep, and thought she was alone save a sleeping Ruby, she was always her most affectionate.

But of course, all things must end at some point. Ruby had to shift. She tried to make it slight, but...

"Mmm… I know you're awake, Ruby.~" Weiss said fondly, and already she had pulled away a little. Ruby sighed, though it was a content sigh. She wouldn't be greedy for something Weiss wasn't ready to give. She was just grateful for the time Weiss did give her like that.

"No I'm not. Who told you that~?" Ruby teased back, trying to cuddle back into her.

Weiss just let out an amused "Hmph" and rolled out of bed. Ruby sighed contentedly again. It was worth a shot.

"We need to get ready anyway, Ruby." Weiss chided gently. "We have a mission today. We don't have time to lay about. Yang is almost done with breakfast."

Ruby looked over to the clock, but… strangely she couldn't read it. She shrugged. It didn't bother her much.

"Yeah, ok." She mumbled, walking over to Weiss and taking her hand. Weiss did that cute little blush she did whenever anyone touched her like that, but didn't pull away, and together they walked to their kitchen.

"Morning Ruby, Weissy~!" Yang called as she heard them enter.

"Morningggg~." Blake purred, turning slightly and smiling at them with that love-lust mixture that seemed to never really go away, no matter how much they indulged her. Not that any of them _really_ minded.

Suddenly, right as Ruby was about to return the greeting, the ground shook.

"W-what was that?" Blake asked.

Ruby was about to answer that she didn't know, when the constant rumbling started to get worse. The whole house shook and Yang dived over to catch Ruby and Weiss when they bumped into each other. Blake, eyes wide with fear, dove down with them, pinning Weiss down and covering the smaller girl with her body as Yang did the same to Ruby.

Ruby whimpered as the earthquake got even worse. What could she do though? She racked her mind, trying to think of someway to save them, somewhere to run, but her thoughts were so strangely slow. To Ruby's surprise, Yang smiled down at her and brushed some hair out of her face.

"Hey." Yang said softly, "Don't worry. Don't be scared. I'm right here, Sis." She cupped her cheek tenderly.

Ruby looked up into her eyes and felt calm.

"I'm not afraid." She said solemnly, and leaned up to kiss Yang.

And then they woke up.

 **Hello again. A short chapter this time, and yes it's a dream, but it's not really allll fluff. And it's cute. We're gonna need that for what comes next, I think.**

 **Also, sorry for the longer wait this time. I won't make any promises, because I'm really bad at doing anything on time, and also at just sitting down and writing, but the next chapter shouldn't take tooooo long.**


End file.
